Mounting arrangement for demountable containers on railway cars



Dec. 10, 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE 35159205 MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR DEMOUNTABLE CONTAINERS ON RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 25, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 10, 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR DEMOUNTABLE CONTAINERS 0N RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 23, 1.967

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JACK E. WR/DGE Dec. 10, 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE 3,415,205

MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR DEMOUNTABLE CONTAINERS ON RAILWAY CARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 23, 1967 INVENTOR JACK E. GUTRIDGE United States Patent O 3,415,205 MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR DEMOUNT- ABLE CONTAINERS ON RAILWAY CARS Jack E. Gutridge, Dyer, Ind., assiguor to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 662,769 Claims. (Cl. 105366) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A railway car having upstanding side sills providing tire guides for highway trailers carried thereon includes container mounting brackets which are movable from a rest position to an erect operative position wherein they coact with the four corner brackets of a container carried on the car. The brackets include supporting beams which cooperate with the upstanding side sills of the car and which may be disposed in a non-used or rest position lying flat on the deck of the car so as to permit loading and unloading of trailers with the mounting brackets providing a minimum obstruction relative to the rolling of the wheels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field 09 the invention This invention relates to railway cars of the fiat deck type which are suitable for both trailer-on-flat-car operation (TOCF) and container-on-fiat-car operation (COFC). Where the railway car is used for COFC the containers are carried on mounting brackets which are disposed at the four corners of each container and provides a mounting means to resist the longitudinal and lateral forces to which the container is subjected during transport. The mounting means or brackets are generally located in the area of the trailer over which the wheeled chassis roll and therefore the mounting brackets must be adapted to accommodate this travel with a minimum of obstruction.

Description of the prior art The prior art has recognized the difficulty of providing suitable container brackets on railway cars alternately carrying TOFC or COFC. Thus container brackets have been provided which are hinged at the outer edges of the railway car and are movable from a position below the car to a position on top of the car for carrying the containers. Such arrangements have design limitations as well as the various designs wherein the brackets are recessed in pockets with the deck structure. The prior art most pertinent with respect to the present invention is applicants Patent 3,257,970, patented June 28, 1966. The particular container bracket design shown in the aforementioned patent is particularly adaptable to fiat cars having downwardly extending side sills with rub rails disposed in the central portion of the car for guiding the trailer wheels. The present invention is particularly concerned with container brackets for a railway fiat car having upwardly extending side sills which include rub rails or tire guides performing the guiding function for guiding trailer wheels.

Summary The invention relates to an improved mounting bracket arrangement for supporting demountable containers on a flat car also utilized for TOFC operation. The fiat car comprises upstanding side sills which includes wheel guide surfaces for guiding the wheels of trailers loaded and unloaded from the flat car. The mounting arrangement or brackets are located in the path normally traversed by the trailer Wheels and thus are adapted to be moved to a flat non-operative or rest position on the deck over which the trailer wheels can readily traverse. One or more of the supporting beams for each of the hinged brackets also may be disposed at a flat rest position adjacent the tire guides of the upstanding side sills. The tire guides, also called rub rails, are each apertured at four positions of the brackets which are disposed to support the corners of a single container. In the rest position wherein the car is utilized for TOFC operation a short tire guide exten: sion is disposed in the aperture to form a continuation of the tire guide carried on the side sills. The tire guide extension is connected to a supporting beam and to the deck in a hinged manner and is raised vertically to support another hinged beam or bracket in an erect or operative position.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat car having two containers carried thereon on improved container mounting brackets;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the container mounting bracket in a rest or inoperative position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the mounting brackets of FIGS. 4 and 5 in the erect position.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 a railway car is generally designated by the reference character 10. The railway car 10 includes the conventional trucks 11, and couplers 12, which are connected to a sliding sill 13 having suitable cushioning means provided. The car 10 comprises upstanding side sills 14 and floor or deck 15. The side sills 14 are structural members of the car and the inner surfaces also act as tire guides during TOFC loading and unloading operations. The inner surfaces of the guides also are referred to as rub rails but in the arrangement shown in the drawings additional rub rails in the form of channel-shaped members 16 are connected to the inner surfaces of the sills 14. The rub rails 16 accommodate the present width trailer wheel dimension and may be removable in the event that this width is increased wherein the side sills 14 then act as the tire guides or rub rails. As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 the rub rails 16, which extend longitudinally coextensive with the side sills 14, are suitably cut out to provide longitudinally 0pposed end portions 17 defining an aperture or pocket 18. In the event of removal of the rub rails 16, for accommodating greater width trailer suspensions, the side sills may be so apertured.

A container mounting arrangement is generally designated at 20 and as indicated in FIG. 1, four of these are provided, namely, at the corners of each container 21 carried on the railway car 10.

Each mounting arrangement 20 comprises a'longitudinally extending beam 22 having lower hinge gears 23 pivotal about a hinge pin 24 carried by a hinge bracket 25 rigidly secured to the floor 15. The bracket or beam 22 also has a U-shaped cutout 26. Upwardly extending abutment means 27 is provided on each beam 22. The abutment means 27 includes the tapered guiding surface 28 and a bore 29 which has positioned therein, for sliding movement, a lock pin 30 connected to an actuating handle 31. The beam 22 is provided along its upper surfaces with a shoulder 32, an undercut portion 33, a projection 34, and a flat surface .35 extends horizontally from the projection 34.

A transverse beam or supporting bracket is generally designated by the reference character 36. The beam 36,

in the position shown in FIG. 3, with the beam 22 is lying in a flat or inoperative position on the floor of the car. The beam 36 is hingedly connected by means of a hinge pin 37 to a hinge bracket 38 positioned below the bracket 22 in the cutout portion '26, as shown in FIG. 2, and to a hinge bracket 39 best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the said hinged bracket 39 also being secured to the side sill 14. Suitably connected to the beam 36 is a short rub rail or tire guide section 40 which may consist of a box channel or suitable shape, which as shown in FIG. 3, forms a continuation of the rub rail 16 and suitably registers with the end portions 17, being disposed in the aperture 18 to provide continuations of the rub rail 16 for TOFC operation with the beams 22 and 36 both in the fiat position on the floor of the car.

The beam 36 is provided with a hook shaped portion 41 formed by means of an undercut 42. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hooked shaped portion 41 extends transversely or substantially normal to the beam 22 in the erect position. In said position the beam 22 has the shoulder 32 disposed within the undercut 42 whereby lateral stability is imparted to the upright beam 22. A flat hinged element 43 includes a transversely extending undercut 44 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the hinged element 43 includes a hinge car 45 which pivots in a recess 46 provided in the beam 36. Pivotal connection is provided by means of a hinged pin 47 as best shown in FIG. 4. In the operative or erect position, shown in FIG. 2, the flat hinged element 43 is seated on the surface 35 of the beam 22 and the projection 34 is secured in the undercut 44 thus providing stability of the beam 36 against hinging movement to its former rest position.

Operation Operation of the railway car 10 for TOFC need not be described other than to indicate that the trailers are usually secured to the fiat car by means of a trailer hitch. The trailer wheels usually are guided during loading and unloading by means of the rub rails 16 or, if these are eliminated, by means of the guiding surfaces provided by the upstanding sills 14. However when the railway car is used as indicated in FIG. 1 for COFC the container mounting arrangements must be placed into operative position. As shown in FIG. 3 the arrangement is in the rest position for TOFC operations in which case the wheels of the trailer can readily ride over the substantially fiat beam members 36 and 22 in the rest position. In this position also the short section of rub rail indicated at 40 serves its function in providing guides for the tires during trailer loading when the car 10 is used for container operations. It is a simple matter to initially hinge each of the beams 22 to the upright position whereupon the beam 36 is then raised to the vertical position shown in FIG. 2. The hook shaped member 41 serves to secure the beam 22 against hinging movement and the hinged element 43 provides interlocking support to maintain the beam 36 in the upright supporting position.

The tapered guiding surfaces 28 and 48, during loading of the container, serve to guide the corners of the container into the position whereupon they are seated on top of the hinged elements 43 and hook shaped member 41. Thus these are held against vertical displacement and thus maintain the brackets in the supporting position under the most severe conditions of operation. The pins 30 suitably engage holes in standard corner brackets, not shown, provided on the container and thus retain the container against vertical displacement. The upwardly extending abutment means 27 is provided with an abutment surface 49 and the beam 36 is provided with an abutment surface 50. The surface 49 resists longitudinal forces on the container, such surface 49 being adapted to engage the ends of the container. The surface 50 is adapted to engage the sides of the container and thus resist lateral forces so that the containers are securely supported during car operation.

In FIG. 2, it can be seen that section 40 with the beam 36 is moved to the vertical position with the beam 36 in supporting position relative to the beam 27. To change over the car to TOFC operation it is a simple operation to unlatch the member 43 whereupon the beam 36 can again be rotated into the position shown in FIG. 3 and the beam 22 is returned to its flat position on the deck of the car.

What is claimed is:

1. A container mounting bracket for a railway car having a floor, upwardly extending side sills adjacent opposite sides of said floor, and longitudinally extending tire guides on the inner surfaces of said side sills, at least one of said guides having a transversely extending aperture defined by longitudinally spaced terminal portions of said guides, comprising:

a first fiat beam extending longitudinally of said car,

means turnably mounting said first flat beam on the floor for hinging movement between a horizontal rest position on said floor to an erect position substantially normal to said floor,

a second fiat beam on said car,

means turnably mounting said second fiat beam on the floor for hinging movement about a laterally extending axis between a horizontal rest position on said floor to an erect position substantially normal to said floor and extending transversely with respect to said car,

said second beam having connected thereto and movable therewith, a tire guide element in the rest position being disposed in said aperture to provide a continuation of said tire guide, means on said first and second fiat beams being interengageable and coacting to provide mutual support for each other in the erect position thereof,

abutment surface means on said first fiat beam in the erect position adapted to engage an end wall of a container resisting horizontal forces applied on said container longitudinally of said car, and

abutment surface means on said second flat beam in the erect position adapted to engage a side wall of said container to resist horizontal load forces on said container applied laterally of said railway car.

2. A container mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1,

said guides comprising channel shaped members attached to the inner side of said upstanding side sills. 3. A container mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1,

said coacting means including a latch member attached to said second beam in the erect position thereof engaging and restraining said first beam against hinging movement to its rest position. 4. A container mounting bracket in accordance with claim 3, including a second latch member hingedly connected to said first latch member and in the erect position of said beam engaging said first beam to restrain said second beam from hinging movement about its transverse axis. 5. A container mounting bracket in accordance with claim 4,

said tire guide element being connected to one side of said second beam and extending substantially parallel to said guides in the erect and rest positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,257,970 6/1966 Gutridge 366 3,314,633 4/1967 Romberg 248-119 3,321,162 5/1967 Connerat 248l19 DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

